


Proud To Be Me

by TheAsexualofSpades



Series: Quarantine Drabbles [69]
Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Asexual Character, Asexual Mako Mori, Asexual Newton Geiszler, Asexual Relationship, Asexuality, Asexuality Spectrum, Bisexual Hercules Hansen, Bisexual Jake Pentecost, Bisexual Raleigh Beckett, Bisexual Stacker Pentecost, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Found Family, Gay Chuck Hansen, Gay Hermann Gottlieb, Gay Pride, Gen, M/M, Modern Era, Photographer Hermann Gottlieb, Pride, Queerplatonic Relationships, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, can be platonic or romantic you decide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:55:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24491641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAsexualofSpades/pseuds/TheAsexualofSpades
Summary: Mako enjoys celebrating Pride Month, but she's not big on going to the big celebrations like the parades and festivals. Luckily for her, she's got a wonderful little family that can have their own celebrations perfectly well on their own.
Relationships: Aleksis Kaidonovsky/Sasha Kaidonovsky, Amara Namani & Jake Pentecost, Chuck Hansen & Hercules Hansen, Chuck Hansen & Mako Mori, Hercules Hansen & Mako Mori, Hermann Gottlieb & Mako Mori, Mako Mori & Jake Pentecost, Mako Mori & Stacker Pentecost, Newton Geiszler & Hermann Gottlieb, Newton Geiszler & Mako Mori, Newton Geiszler/Hermann Gottlieb, Raleigh Becket & Mako Mori, Raleigh Becket/Mako Mori
Series: Quarantine Drabbles [69]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1677655
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21
Collections: PACIFIC RIM





	Proud To Be Me

**Author's Note:**

> it's the first day of pride month AND it's day 69????
> 
> nice
> 
> it's almost like i planned it
> 
> i didn't i don't have that much skill at organizing shit who the hell do you think i am
> 
> someone i told i was doing this asked me if i was gonna do smut for day 69 and i was like
> 
> ...bruh i don't think you get how this works

Fandom: Pacific Rim

Prompt: “Here, let me help.”

* * *

  
“Hey, Mako!”

Mako looks up from her computer, one hand still poised over the keys. Raleigh waves from the doorway, a big grin on his face.

“Newt and Hermann just called, they’re waiting to take us to the park.”

“Are they not coming here first?”

Raleigh nods. “They are, they just wanted to let us know they’re coming.” He frowns, crossing the room to put his hands on her shoulders. “What’s wrong? You look…upset.”

Mako shakes her head, leaning back against Raleigh’s chest. “I am fine. Just a little tired.”

“You still wanna go?”

She looks up at him. “Do you think Newt would survive his disappointment?"

Raleigh snorts. “Fair enough. You got your outfit all ready, right?”

“It is not as if it is anything special.” Mako stands up and heads to the closet in the corner of her room. Opening the door, she retrieves her black cargo pants with the embroidery, the purple top, and denim jacket. She holds them up for Raleigh to see.

Raleigh whistles. “You’re gonna look so badass.”

“Thank you. Do you have yours picked out as well?”

Raleigh shrugs. “I was just gonna throw the flag over my shoulders.”

“Do you think Newt would let you get away with that?”

“You’re right. What do I do?”

Mako follows him into his room, pulling open the closet to find one of the pink shirts. “Maybe this with your good jeans?”

“I got the badge too, you think on the jacket?”

They take turns helping each other with their clothes, flattening collars, unfolding lapels, and making sure everything is tucked in just right. When they step back and look in the mirror, they look just like those aesthetic boards Newt insists on sending all the time.

“Did you call Chuck and Herc yet?”

Mako shakes her head. “They’re in Australia, they will not be awake yet.”

“But you called your dad, right?”

Mako nods, straightening her jacket and picking up her keys and phone. “He says hello. He is taking Jake and Amara to the celebrations there.”

“Great.” Raleigh shrugs on his own jacket, heading for the living room, only to pause when Mako stands there, clutching her phone. “Something wrong?”

“It…does it not bother you that we are not going to the parade?” Mako glances toward the door, half expecting Newt to knock any second. “I know it is an…important thing.”

“What? No, Mako, it doesn’t bother me.” Raleigh darts back across the room to catch her in a hug. “Plus, I’m in the same boat as you. Too much, right?”

Mako nods.

“You don’t need to be sorry that it’s too overstimulating. I get it.” Raleigh bumps her shoulder. “Plus, Newt says the park won’t be too close to anything big and we can chill there without fear of…”

“Too much?”

Raleigh nods. “Too much.”

_Knock knock._

“Hey! You two! Open the heck up!”

“Honestly, Newton, give them a _moment—_ “

“Shut up, Hermann! Hey! Come on!”

“I’m debating leaving them out there for a little longer out of spite,” Raleigh mutters, “but our neighbors don’t deserve that.”

Mako giggles, opening the door only to be all but tackled by a living swath of purple, black, and grey.

“About time!” Newt bustles into their rooms, followed by an apologetic Hermann with his gay pride pin on his jacket.

“Good morning, Mako,” he nods politely, “Raleigh. I would apologize for—“ he waves at Newt who has started unpacking his bag— “but I fear you already know all too well.”

“Eh,” Raleigh says, waving a hand, “it’s fine. What are you _doing,_ Newt, preparing for surgery?”

“Shush.” Newt flaps a hand. “Mako, get over here. This won’t take long.”

“Ah, yes,” Hermann says, leaning his cane against the stool and taking a seat next to Raleigh, “how could we forget?”

Mako giggles, taking a seat on the end of the couch Newt covered with the plastic tarp in his bag. Newt pulls on a pair of gloves and removes some of the more…elaborate pieces of his outfit, He shoves his glasses further onto his face and squints.

“You still want just the tips?”

Mako nods, fingering the ends of her hair. “Just up to here, please.”

“You got it.”

At this point, applying the bleach and dye is easy. Newt strikes up a conversation with Raleigh about the festivities, especially near where they’re going to be going.

“Honestly, Newton,” Hermann says, “I would expect nothing less than perfection from all the ‘scouting missions’ you’ve been going on.”

“We do our homework in this house, dude!” Newt asks Mako to tilt her head slightly to the side. “Plus, this way we’ll be able to see the good stuff!”

“Does that mean—“

“The people who are the living embodiments of rainbows, hell yeah!”

Raleigh whistles. “I’m always impressed by that shit.”

“Come on, they’re going for it! Of course it’s impressive!”

“You say that like you’re not trying to outdo them, Newton.”

“Of course I am.” Newt snaps off his gloves and tosses the drying T-shirt at Mako. “You’re all good, Mako. See you in a minute?”

Mako nods, walking to the bathroom, listening to the goodnatured argument going on between Newt, Hermann, and Raleigh. As she shuts the door, she stifles a giggle at Newt’s declaration that they all received their queer-approved enamel pins and membership cards ages ago.

Shrugging her jacket off, she bends carefully over the sink to rinse her hair. The water runs over her head, the sound soothing the last of her jangled nerves. Taking the T-shirt, she dries her hair, stifling another laugh at Newt’s loud proclamation about…something related to cards?

“What are you _talking_ about?”

“Mako!” Newt cries when she exits the bathroom. “Wow, holy shit, you look great!”

“Indeed.”

Raleigh just winks and gives her a thumbs up.

“Now, please,” Newt continues with a sweep of his arm, “help me explain to them that we did not come out of the closet, so to speak, but instead, out of the deck.”

Ah, yes. Newt’s favorite joke. Mako nods solemnly, watching Raleigh’s brow furrow in confusion.

“I don’t get it.”

“Because that is where the aces are.”

Hermann groans, burying his face in his hands. “That was _awful._ ”

“Nah, that’s great.” Raleigh claps Mako on the shoulder. “Let’s get going!”

“Yes, yes,” Newt says, bustling them out the door. “Come on! Park’s not far.”

Mako places her hands into her pockets, walking shoulder to shoulder with Raleigh. The breeze catches a few of the stray leaves as they walk down the sidewalk, Newt linking his arm through Hermann’s free one as they chatter about something that’s far too technical for Mako to follow easily. Instead, she looks around, at the puffy white clouds, at the sunlight glinting through the leaves on the trees, at the flags fluttering in the breeze.

The park isn’t crowded, tucked away as it is between two larger buildings. There’s a square of concrete in the middle, surrounding another tiny circle of grass. Trees wave at them as they walk down the steps, the shade from the other buildings making it so they can enjoy the sun-warmed grass without the glare of too-bright light,

“Whaddya think?” Newt spins in a slow circle, the various scarves draped around his body flaring out as he does so.

“It is perfect,” Mako murmurs, finding a spot on the grass and sitting down. “Thank you, Newt.”

“Oh! Oh my god, Raleigh, sit next to her,” Newt orders, flapping his arms excitedly. “Hermann, you’ve gotta take a picture of them, they look so good!”

Hermann takes out his camera and leans against Newt. “Smile.”

Mako does as he asks, tilting her head slightly to rest against Raleigh’s shoulder. He slings an arm around her and the shutter clicks.

“Fuck, you two are great!” Newt pats Hermann’s shoulder. “How’s the new camera working out?”

“Wonderfully.” Hermann turns it around so they can see. “What do you think?”

Mako’s breath catches in her throat. They look…good. The embroidery on her pants is the same color as some of the flowers on the trees. The pose they’ve struck looks perfectly natural, the breeze lifting their hair just enough to show their faces clearly.

“You are a master, Hermann,” she says with a smile.

“O-oh, it’s nothing,” Hermann stammers, only to blush properly when Newt claps him on the arm.

“Don’t be so modest, dude. I told you you were gonna like it.”

“Yes, well—“ Hermann fumbles with his camera— “let me get one of you three.”

Newt throws himself down on the ground and the shutter clicks as Mako and Raleigh look down at him with surprise, quickly turning to fond exasperation at his theatrics. Newt wraps an arm around Mako and another around Raleigh, pulling them down with him.

“Newt!”

“Come on, it’ll be cute!”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t strain yourself.”

"Here, let me help."

“Be careful!”

The shutter keeps clicking as they dissolve into laughter. Hermann smiles as he watches them.

“Alright,” he claps finally when Mako ends up slung awkwardly between Raleigh and Newt, “I’ve got it.”

“Well,” Newt waves impatiently, “get down here, then!”

Hermann eases himself onto the ground, clicking through the photos. They look spectacular. The ease they have with each other, the lighthearted spirit, even the safety of the park is captured in each frame.

  
“God, I love you guys so much,” Newt declares, throwing an arm around Hermann and kissing his cheek.

“Yes, yes, Newton,” Hermann mumbles, “I love you too.”

“Same here,” Raleigh calls, lounging back onto his elbows.

Mako smiles, looking at her family. “I…I love you, too.”

Newt’s eyes go wide, sitting up a little more. His grin is big enough to make Mako flush a little. Raleigh tangles their fingers together. Hermann nods with a proud smile on his own face.

“We love you too, Mako,” Raleigh murmurs, “so much.”

Mako squeezes his hand. “Hey, should we take one more photo will all of us? To send to the others?”

“Hell yeah we should!” Newt plunges his hand into his bag to grab his phone. “I’ve already gotten photos from all the others.”

Leaning over his shoulder, Mako sees Sasha and Alexis Kaidonovsky with their pride pins on their matching bomber jackets, Chuck and Herc from what looks like last night for them, and the Wei triplets, stacked precariously on top of each other. The last photo is Amara giggling in the corner of the frame as Jake wraps Sensei in a pride flag.

“Alright, you lot, get over here.”

Raleigh sits up with a grunt, catching Mako in a hug like an overenthusiastic Golden Retriever, Hermann shuffles closer, taking the phone from Newt and holding out the phone.

“Get a little closer, Herm, we can’t see your pin.”

“Move your elbow, then.”

“Guys, my arm’s falling asleep.”

“Mako, tilt your head to the left a small bit?”

“Hermann, just take the picture!”

“Hang on, there’s a cloud.”

“Guys, seriously, I’m losing circulation here.”

“Rest your weight on your other side, then.”

“Okay, everybody look!”

“Shit!”

“Three…two…one!”

Hermann returns the phone and they all crowd around it.

“Perfect!” Newt types up a flurry, sending it to the group chat. “And…done.”

Raleigh flops back down on the ground, accidentally bringing Mako with him. She pats his arm when he apologizes, closing her eyes and letting the warmth wash over her. Raleigh squeezes her close as Newt and Hermann start another one of their conversations.

“Happy Pride, Mako.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Come yell at me on tumblr while we're all in quarantine. 
> 
> https://a-small-batch-of-dragons.tumblr.com/


End file.
